Even at the novel’s beginning, the character I most hated was the narrator, being not Stoically objective enough. It is the Greek Chorus, delivering a letter and bringing news and sharing common observations; wanting to be the star, it must settle for directing. “Atonement” is not its story, no matter how much it wants it to be.

Unreliability of witnesses adds a new dimension: is better to lie, or to tell something that seems to be true from one's perspective but isn't. Having lied, for what reason should truth later be told? The WW2 flight (with the scenestealing Nettle and Mace) is laced with lying to survive, although ironically as it turns out.

Even though I have seen it before elsewhere (Odyssey, Eco, Scrubs, myself), the conceit is good to see again.

(Sorry it took so long.)